Blog Archives

You know it’s true. A couple of weeks ago when my friend Beth from Hero Design was in town we cruised through the Strip District here in Pittsburgh. It was at the Latino grocery Reyna Foods where I snapped a few photos of the rad bits of colorful paper shaped into the stuff of childhood dreams. Or nightmares. Or both. A few more photos on my Flickr site as well.

WTF is this guy?! Awesome.

Piñatas have a long and debated history, are they Italian, Spanish or Mexican in origin? Ultimately who cares right? One fun new fact that I learned today, (thanks Wikipedia!) is that there are traditionally Christmas piñatas which are 7-pointed stars. Beating them and breaking them symbolizes triumph over the Seven Deadly Sins. And then you get to snack. Niiiiicce.

Piñatas have always held an intense fascination for me. I love the clashing colors and the handmade aspect of them. They can range from highly conceptualized to rudimentary construction, yet all are meant to be ripped, crushed and destroyed. The first time that I saw one as a kid at a party was mildly mind-shattering, as The Winner is The Destroyer. Proof positive that inspiration can be found anywhere.